This afternoon, I had the chance to sit in on Pamela’s session with Mariah, a Year 9 student working on Maths today, specifically Pythagoras . It was really interesting to see how Pamela explained things—not just going through the formula but making sure Mariah actually understood how and when to use it. She kept things clear and didn’t rush through, which helped Mariah feel more confident tackling the harder questions. There were a few things I took away from l Pamela’s session.

One thing I really liked was how Pamela got Mariah to talk through her thinking. Instead of just telling her what was wrong or right, she asked things like, “Why do you think that?” or “What should we do first?” This made Mariah slow down and think about her process rather than just guessing or rushing to an answer. You could see her becoming more confident as the session went on because she was figuring things out herself rather than just following instructions.

Pamela also struck a good balance between guiding Mariah and letting her work things out on her own. At the start, she worked through a few examples with her, making sure she understood the steps, but then gradually stepped back. When Mariah got stuck, Pamela didn’t just jump in with the answer but encouraged her to look at the problem from different angles. This kept Mariah engaged and thinking rather than just waiting for Pamela to tell her what to do.

They also talked a bit about exam strategies—things like checking answers properly and managing time. For students at this level, knowing how to approach a question can make just as much difference as knowing the content.

Overall, it was a really productive session. Mariah left feeling more confident with Pythagoras’ theorem, and I definitely picked up a few tutoring strategies from Pamela that I can use in my own sessions. Thanks

Eric Mihas